The above map is the current proposed extension of the Mascoma River Greenway from its current terminus at Glen Road to RT 12-A. Negotiations are ongoing; It is all contingent on NHDOT/Railroad agreement (which has been slowly progressing), Federal Surface Transportation Board approval for conversion of the rail to trail (still pending), and funding in the City’s upcoming Capital Improvement Plan deliberations.
Posted in Uncategorized
CCBA Camp bikers at intersection of Mascoma/High/Mechanic and the MRG
Thursday’s Lebanon News had info on the NH Dept of Transportation Ten Year Plan for Lebanon – at least two plans will have an impact on the MRG:
*One plan concerns the proposed Rotary/Roundabout at the intersection of Mechanic/Mascoma/High Street and the MRG – a currently complicated and potentially dangerous intersection.
*Another concerns the extension of the MRG from the current terminus at Glen Road, across two railroad bridges, and into downtown West Lebanon and the Connecticut River.
The Governor’s Advisory Council on Intermodal Transportation (GACIT), along with Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, will be taking public input on the proposed 10-Year Highway Plan on:
The purpose of this Public Hearing is to receive public comments/testimony on transportation projects and priorities included in the draft 2025-2034 Ten-Year Transportation Improvement Plan as recommended by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
Lebanon Transportation Project recommendations include NH 12A Bridge replacement over the railroad (13558A), Trues Brook Road Bridge over Bloods Brook (24221), NH 120 Bridge Replacement over NHRR (24222), Interstate 89 Exit 18/ NH 120 improvements (29612), Lebanon Municipal Airport (40564), Reconstruction of Mechanic Street/High Street/Mascoma Street Intersection (40794), Lahaye Drive (41366), US 4/Mechanic Street/Slayton Hill Intersection (42604), Interstate 89 bridge, NH 10 southbound ramp over the Mascoma River (43437), Interstate 89 bridge over Connecticut River (16148).
Plan documents can be found on the NHDOT website.
There will be a 30 minute presentation and then 30 minutes for Community questions and input.
The Valley News report this week indicates that 80% of the cost of the MRG Extension may be covered by the State.
Posted in Uncategorized
Pictured above a current tunnel 3d sculpture installation.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
Downtown Lebanon, NH Tunnel
Public Art
Invitation:
The Lebanon, NH Arts and Culture Commission also known as Lebanon
Artways, is looking for artists to design, create and paint a public art mural in
the newly renovated Downtown Lebanon Pedestrian Tunnel. The Tunnel is
located beneath Hanover Street and the Lebanon Mall, with entrances near
Goss Logan Insurance (western entrance) and the Ledyard Charter School
(eastern entrance).
Design Challenge:
Individual artists or teams of artists are encouraged to apply, as are artists
who live in or near the Upper Valley. Artists are encouraged to select themes
related to Lebanon’s history, geography, natural environment, and
recreational activities.
The tunnel is 350 feet long and the walls are generally 18 feet in height.
Installations and murals can be on the walls within the tunnel, with the
exception of the granite stones on the eastern end. Artwork should exist
within the physical structure of the tunnel and be no longer than 25 feet wide.
Finished artwork will be owned by the City of Lebanon. The murals should be
made with materials/paints to withstand outdoor public display and
consideration of the four variable seasons of New England weather, and
should be able to survive approximately 10 years. They are not expected to
be permanent, and the City of Lebanon reserves the right to remove and or
paint over the artwork at any time. Any modifications to finished artwork will
be done in consultation with the artist.
Juried Process:
Artists will be welcome to tour the tunnel prior to submission and we ask that
any questions be submitted by August 21, 2023 to
Kristine.Flythe@LebanonNh.gov. Following the artists self-tour, artists may
complete an online Intent-to-Submit form, which must be received by the
Lebanon Recreation, Arts, and Parks Department by 5:00 pm, August 28, 2023.
The winning designs will be chosen by September 18, 2023. Artist’s mock-up
designs will be on view to the public during the Arts & Culture meeting on
Tuesday, September 25, 2023.
Schedule
Technical Assistance:
Juried winners will be eligible for technical assistance from the City of Lebanon
regarding facility and features of the tunnel. However, winning artists/teams
are expected to create their artwork and be the primary painters of their
winning designs.
Winners Receive:
“Ironwood Tree” – Current Tunnel installation
https://lebanonnh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18167/2023-Call-to-Artists-LebTunnel-
Posted in Events
It was fun to meet Patty this morning, with her two beautiful, well-behaved German shepherds, Keaira and Shiloh. They are regular walkers on the MRG. You may wonder why both dogs are looking off to the side instead of the camera . . . they are very focused on the treat-giver who had them “Sit pretty!”
Posted in Animal Life on the MRG
The Vermont Center for EcoStudies is launching a pollinator research program in the Upper Valley, and the MRG is part of that study. The Center is asking “citizen scientists” to report on pollinator sightings, sending photos and relevant info to either iNaturalist or to VT Center for Ecostudies. There is a sign by the tunnel inviting all to record their pollinator sightings.
You can register your pollinator observations by downloading the QR code above, downloading the iNaturalist app on your cell phone, or emailing your photo to pip@vtecostudies.org. Remember that, in this case what is important is a clear photo of the pollinator and flower. Be sure to label your photo “MRG”. It will be interesting to see what varied pollinators visit the MRG and which plants they seem to favor.
Posted in Pollinator Corridor, Pollinators
Fun to see this group of CCBA Campers out on the MRG this morning. Impressed that they carefully walked the crosswalks to access the entrance at Mascoma/Mechanic/High Streets. (Many bikers are not so careful and it is a challenging intersection.) Kudos to their CCBA Camp Counselor!
Posted in Uncategorized
In spite of the many pollinator gardens along the MRG and the heavenly scent of the blooming milkweed , pollinator sightings have been minimal: Cabbage moths, a few bees and butterflies . . .and right now, long-horned Red Milkweed Beetles. Those can be found on the common milkweed growing at the intersection of High/Mascom/Mechanic streets MRG Pollinator Garden. Their red and black bodies are easily seen on the bright green leaves – no need for camouflage since predators quickly learn the beetles are toxic from the milkweed sap they eat. You may even see them rubbing their mouths on leaves to prevent sap build-up which can actually fuse their mouths if it hardens. Seeing one on a purple coneflower makes me wonder if flowers other than milkweed make better napkins?!
Posted in Pollinator Corridor, Pollinators
It seems early to be celebrating pollinators in June, since there are limited flowers blooming at this time, but maybe it is a way to welcome them back? Daisies, a few lilies, ajuga, creeping charlie, columbine, apple blossoms, bleeding heart, and dandelions have offered their nectar and pollen, and lupines have bloomed as welll. Check the pollen on this bumble bee’s saddlebags! (The “saddlebags” are officially called “corbicula” and are pollen storage sacs.) Have you seen any pollinators yet on the MRG?
Posted in Pollinator Corridor
A Sense of Place
“Attachment to place is connected to a sense of well-being for (our)selves, the community, and the land. As we humans have become more mobile and less rooted, it’s important that we connect to where we live. That sense of place grounds us to the world around us and to each other because we begin to see how, despite differences, we all do care about the place we call home.”
Gabrielle Smith, Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative Project Manager
Each year, Vital Communities features a selection of Super Quests that can expand awareness of special places in the Upper Valley, increasing appreciation of this place we call home. The MRG Super Quest is one of those eye-opening experiences, with history, natural beauty, abundant plant and animal life, otherwise hidden from view as we travel RT 4/10 . Even if you already enjoy the MRG, there may be new awarenesses in store in following this guided Super Quest. Be it biking, walking, running, roller blading, cross-country skiing, with camera or plant/tree ID books or apps . . . there are many ways to enjoy the MRG.
Thanks to Becky Owens for this post of an Eastern Painted Turtle laying eggs along the MRG. Becky urges caution, not just on the MRG, (bikers and skaters please stay aware) but also when driving – too many turtles are hit by cars at this time of the year, when Mama turtles are looking for sandy places to lay their eggs..
.U.S. Fish and Wildlife service offers tips on helping turtles cross roads.
Photo by Morgan Hamilton, posted on the Lebanon Photo Gallery LebanonNH.gov/Photos
Posted in Animal Life on the MRG
The Mascoma River Greenway 